ARTIFICIAL SEA-WATER. 13 



difficulty in the way of a general adoption of the 

 Marine aquarium. Even in London it is an awkward 

 and precarious matter; how much more in inland 

 towns and country places, where it must always prove, 

 not only a hindrance, but, to the many, an insuper- 

 able objection ! The thought, therefore, naturally 

 presented itself to that gentleman, that, as the con- 

 stituents of sea-water were known, it might be prac- 

 ticable to manufacture it ; since all that seemed neces- 

 sary was to bring together the salts in the right pro- 

 portion, and add pure water till the solution was of 

 the proper specific gravity. 



Taking Schweitzer's analysis of the sea- water ob- 

 tained off Brighton as his guide, and thinking that a 

 few unimportant ingredients found in very incon- 

 siderable quantity might be safely omitted, the essen- 

 tial component salts were reduced to four, which Mr. 

 Gosse employed in the following quantities : 



Common table-salt ... 3J ounces. 



Epsom salts ^ ounce. 



Chloride of magnesium . . 200 grains Troy. 

 Chloride of potassium . 40 



To these salts, thrown into a jar, a little less than 

 four quarts of water (New River) were added, so that 

 the solution was of such density that a specific-gravity 

 bubble 1026 would just sink in it. 



The cost of these materials is : Epsom salts, Id. ; 

 chloride of magnesium, 3d. ; chloride of potassium, 

 I^d. ; salt, nil. Total, 5|^. per gallon. The trouble 

 is nothing, and no professional skill is required. 



" My manufacture," says Mr. Gosse, " was made 



